Soul Links
by Tsuki-no-Kurokage
Summary: Semi AU. Mild crossover. Before the war, Ichigo is paid a special visit which changes his opinions about his comrades for all eternity...
1. The Journey

_Well, never thought I would be starting up another story at a time like this, but I need to get this off my chest and this will be pretty short anyway. I welcome you to Soul Links, the next victim of my wild imagination and weird literary reasonings. I wasn't certain if this should be put in the crossovers section, but since it does include the Velvet Room and the personae fusion system, I'll just put it there. Note: this **will** have some references to the Persona series, but it's a very mild crossover. If you think that a certain arcana doesn't suit a certain character, do let me know - because I have no idea how to assign a handful of characters to their rightful arcana. Thank you, and enjoy._

* * *

**Soul Links -1**

**The Journey**

* * *

You knew you were never normal.

The moment you agreed to bring the blade to the chest, you knew you were in for the ride of your life - and death.

As sarcastic as it may sound, you were dying to know more about these presences you felt; the strange, twisted feeling in your gut which told, or tells, you that a supernatural force is nearby.

Everyone thought of you as 'weird' or 'special' or just plain 'idiotic'. You couldn't care less.

As the days turned into weeks, which turned into months, so much had happened so quickly it could not register in your mind properly.

Amidst the fog clouding your mind, you were aware of only one objective: defeating Aizen. Your friends share the same mindset, and the same resolution, as you do.

With that in mind, you felt you could weigh the whole world on your shoulders and not feel tired. You felt you could live up to everyone's expectations and not fail them. You felt you could take on Zaraki any damn time and not lose.

However, the fog only grows denser...

You walk home one day from school. For once in your life, nothing catches your eye - though, you are certain that after living through complete, utter hell, nothing back home can ever appeal to you as much - until you feel the familiar tug in your chest, telling you that something is just not _right._

A white flash blinds you, and you feel a migraine coming on. In a poor attempt to ignore it, you continue walking till you are by your door.

The next thing you know, your world goes black, before it begins glowing a pale sapphire blue.

You aren't sure of what you are seeing, or _dreaming_, because this certainly feels like the essence of a dream to you.

You think you might have stepped into a blue version of the world you share with your blade and your other half, with the exceptions being a chair in the middle of nowhere, a small dining table behind it, and two comfortable-looking beds.

Two people enter your view.

"Welcome..."

You knew you were never normal.


	2. The Fool: Rank One

_Edit: I'm aware second person is not allowed here, but...if it's only for one or two chapters, is it okay? I received a review saying that it's fine, but I came across a few stories that got reported for using second person, so..._

* * *

**Soul Links 0**

**The Fool**

* * *

The first time he realised that something was peculiar, it was the first time he heard a strange voice resonating in his head.

Ichigo shrugged it off, but it didn't stop anything.

That morning, he woke up from a distant dream - it was something about an obsession with _blue_ and a weird dude with a long nose - and was not in the best of moods, but he still got out of bed to get ready for school anyway.

His chest had felt...heavy. Yet, his shoulders, light, as if a load had been taken off them. It was hard to explain, and Ichigo was never good with explaining; whenever he tried to, the other party would exhaust all means to misunderstand his intentions, so he'd rather not explain anything from then on.

Everything had been normal. In the morning, at least. When he reached school, something told him that the day would not be as average as he expected.

_Average_, he would've snorted. _As if my life had been 'average' from the start._

He had no idea how wrong, and right, he had been, and simply waved hi to everyone before settling down in his seat.

For a reason he could not, and did not want to, explain, he suddenly felt as if he had been presented with choices during lessons - whether to sleep, or not to sleep - and they seemingly had a strong impact on how well he would do in school then. It was weird, to say the least, but he wasn't complaining. If anything, he found it rather convenient.

When school ended, Ichigo realised it.

Inoue had called out to him, and made a direct request for him to meet up at the library as soon as he was done with lunch. He agreed without hesitation - his head nodded before he knew it - and immediately took off to get something to fill his stomach. The strawberry normally didn't get that hungry unless he had fought a string of hollows without resting, and it hadn't exactly _been_ him in person who was hungry. It was more like something in his head told him to get something to eat, so he did. Odd. But then again, overcoming all odds to rescue a shinigami who had saved his family's lives before and become his friend, Ichigo didn't find anything odd any longer.

Keigo yelled, asking to hang out with him for a bit, but Ichigo brushed him off, saying he was busy. Keigo simply ran to a corner and wept while Mizuiro casually stood beside him, drinking from his juice box and keeping silent. At that moment, the orange-haired adolescent suddenly felt _bad_ for ditching Keigo, for once. He couldn't, and didn't want to, explain why.

Later that afternoon, he turned up last at the library.

Inoue waved at him with her brightest of smiles - he hadn't seen that in a while - which brought him to the circle table where Ishida and Chad sat. He sat, as well, and their discussion began.

"I don't see why I have to be involved in this..."

Typical Ishida.

"...However, if it involves the safety of the town residents, I suppose it would only be logical to render aid."

...Okay, that was not exactly normal, but Ichigo would rather that than coming face-to-face with a stone-faced Ishida all day long.

"I...I don't want anyone in this town to die," Inoue muttered, keeping her voice low. "That's why, I..."

"...Un," Chad replied coolly.

"Kurosaki-kun feels the same way, right?"

Ichigo blinked. "Eh? Ah, well, that's obvious...?"

Ishida pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, flashing his orange-haired classmate a disapproving stare. "Kurosaki, it would be much appreciated if you could get that shinigami head out of the clouds and contribute something to today's discussion. In my opinion, I don't think..." And he went on, while Ichigo droned.

It wasn't that he was doing it deliberately; it was just that something, or someone, running around in his mind was beginning to bother him, and the high schooler had no idea what or who. It couldn't have been Zangetsu, he was too old to run and leap and would rather make use of random teleportation to travel. He began to wonder if it was his other half, the hollow side to him, but he had no recollection of that bastard's voice being so low and speaking in old Japanese.

The moment he brought his palm to his temple, in an attempt to knock whoever was in there out, everyone stood in place.

_Thou art I, and I art thou..._

And then, Ichigo realised, a tarot card revealed itself before his widened eyes.

* * *

_I know this sounds rushed, because it is. However, this story is meant to be like this. I wanted to write more, but...I have no idea how I can continue this 'introduction' event to the Fool events._

_As to why I picked Ichigo for the Fool, I can put it simply, or in essay form. I have this burning desire to write every character's choice arcana in essay form -is astounded- but I'm afraid I don't have time. Many people have different interpretations of the tarot, so naturally I would have my own, but they're all rather similar to the usual interpretations, so all I can say is: Ichigo is like the Fool. He is beginning a lifelong journey and at the end of it, he will obtain something extraordinary. Along his journey, he would encounter many obstacles, and overcome them. Ichigo has unlimited potential, and with that power in his hands, he would take a leap of faith and do anything he wants to do, since it's in his brash and impulsive nature to do so. That's what I think._


	3. The Fool: Rank Two

_I feel extremely bad for not updating in eight months._

* * *

The next day, he didn't turn up for school. And the day after, he was spotted ditching class.

Ichigo got called to the principal's office to 'have a heart-to-heart-talk' with the principal himself without the intrusion of other students.

The moment, however, the man with the pot-belly opened his mouth and said, "Kurosaki Ichigo-kun", said sixteen-year-old kept his face as solid as a rock and droned out. He had been called to the principal's office a decent number of times - enough not to be issued a warning later - and this meeting made it his fourth trip, which, if he recalled correctly, meant calling his father for some...disciplinary talk.

It was proven useless when the raven-haired man, who sprinted his way to Karakura High and forgot to practise his morning habits, barged into the office and gave Ichigo a flying kick in the face, which the orange-haired teenager effortlessly evaded. It sent Isshin flying out of the window instead and neither the principal nor Ichigo had seen him carry out anymore antics after which.

Strangely enough, there was a knock on the door once Ichigo's father soared into the nearby bushes, and what was even stranger was the fact that Inoue was standing there, accompanied by Ishida and Chad.

Ichigo mouthed, 'What the hell are you guys doing here?' but his friends appeared not to have noticed.

"Yes? I believe I said I wanted to talk to Kurosaki-kun alone," the principal reminded.

"Ah, um, I'm sorry, but we felt that this isn't exactly fair to Kurosaki-kun because, um, well..."

"Allow me, Inoue-san," Ishida interrupted, tapping on her shoulder as if to calm her down. He stepped forward and looked at Ichigo in the eye indifferently. "What Inoue-san meant to say was, we know the reason why Kurosaki-san committed the offence and she felt that it was necessary to explain his situation to you personally."

"The hell you're talking about, Ishida!"

"Kurosaki-kun," the principal warned with raised eyebrows. "Now, Ishida-kun, if you may."

The Quincy nodded and thanked him politely. "To put it briefly..."

* * *

"Uh...Ishida? I, uh, appreciate the help back there, but...why did you even help me?"

Uryuu gave a light shrug while Inoue giggled softly to herself. Chad was as silent as ever, but Ichigo had this nagging feeling that the taller was secretly smiling in his heart.

He had to admit, though; despite the fact that Inoue was not exactly the brightest bulb when out on the streets, Ishida was ambiguous when it came to friendship and rivalry, and Chad was...Chad, the three of them combined could actually cook up a story that was believable enough to get the orange-haired Karakura High student off the hook, even with an additional three days off from school.

"I don't know the reason why myself."

"...Yeah, and you expect me to buy that." Ichigo gave a rough sigh. "But now that you mention it, I didn't expect the old man to buy your side of the story."

"Do not associate me with your family, Kurosaki," Ishida replied as he pushed his glasses slightly. "It is _your_ side of the story, not mine. I don't have a father who is about to be admitted to an asylum, a sister who abuses said father, and another sister who believes her entire family has gone crazy and now talks to herself. If I were you, I would take that down in case somebody asks."

A casual wave of his bruised hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just glad enough it got me off the hook."

And as they walked on out of the school compounds discussing about the increasing frequency of Arrancar attacks, Ichigo heard a voice ringing in his mind for a second, but it toned down as soon as it came, and so its message went by unnoticed. However, the moment he bid farewell to his friends and went back to his room - somehow, he felt something that wasn't there before.

It was as if he became relatively closer to them than before.


	4. The Fool: Rank Three

Two days after the talk at the principal's office, Ichigo decided to take a walk in the park.

The maple leaves were particularly beautiful that day. The pavements were filled with the fallen ones and he felt more relaxed than usual when he spotted children, not more than six years of age, running around and having fun in the piles of leaves.

Autumn, he figured, was the best season for nice, leisure walks.

Ichigo brushed off some leaves off the bench and sat there silently, his hands kept in his pockets. A cool breeze came and shook the tree's leaves off the branches. Somehow, he found that watching the graceful movements of the shades of brown, orange and red mixed together in the wind reminded him of something, of someone, but he could not pinpoint what or who exactly, and shrugged it off. It still did not change the fact that it was indeed a pretty sight.

He thought his hair would enable him to blend in with the surroundings, but it was proven wrong when a few familiar faces came in his direction amongst the dancing leaves.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun! Good morning! It's a nice day out today, isn't it?"

"...Inoue," he muttered to himself. He sure didn't expect her to show up in the park at the same time he did, but what was more surprising was Chad walking alongside her. "And Chad, too. What are you guys doing here?"

"I thought that since the weather is so nice today, a short walk in the park would be great too! And then I bumped into Sado-kun along the way."

"...Seems that we were all thinking the same thing," the tallest of the three added.

Ichigo blinked. "Uh, yeah, looks like it. How about Ishida?"

_'...Huh. Why the hell did I even think of him? He's not the kind to take a walk in the park just 'cuz the weather looks good...but then again, what am I doing here?'_

"Ishida-kun?" Apparently, Inoue was just as confused as he. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know, maybe Ishida-kun doesn't like taking walks."

Cue a soft sneeze coming from behind her. The three immediately stared in the bespectacled Quincy's direction as he made his way over, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a tiny notebook. His free hand came up to tug at the collars of his ocean blue windbreaker.

"Speak of the devil," Ichigo commented while pointing his index finger at Ishida. "Yo, Ishida. Looks like the cold's gotten to you."

"Strange, I was thinking the same thing, Kurosaki. After all, that scarf of yours looks warm enough for winter instead of autumn."

"...Why are you even here?"

His question was answered with an elegant folding of arms and a "I have no need to tell you".

"Geez, it was just a question."

Sometimes, Ichigo had to admit that he could not understand Ishida. Other times, he was unable to understand Inoue. Chad was plenty fine and he was a good enough guy with an even better heart, so the orange-haired shinigami had no problems communicating with him, especially after all the trials they had been through together, but Inoue and Ishida were different things altogether.

He dismissed it, though, believing that it was due to the fact that he and Chad had known each other before Ichigo got to know his other two classmates. He wasn't that acquainted with Inoue despite being in the same class as her initially; he supposed that he had Rukia to thank for since it was indirectly because of her that he managed to know more about Inoue. Probably Ishida, too. That guy would never have approached him if Ichigo hadn't been a shinigami in the first place.

Still, there was this naggy feeling telling him that he could still try to get to know his classmates better, that it would be great to beat up gangs with Chad again like the time they met, or that it wouldn't be so bad to learn more about Ishida and the Quincies, or that it wouldn't even hurt to try Inoue's cooking once in a while. The thought entertained him for a bit, but he was still rather uncertain about it.

He had been feeling rather odd ever since he got that dream, where he met this long-nosed creepy dude and his pretty but equally weird assistant. There were some cards layed out across the table, he recalled, and the woman was holding onto this thick book that resembled a dictionary, but he couldn't remember what exactly transpired in that dream. He knew they were talking, though, and it was as if they were talking to him. Something about the future...? Or something about forging new bonds or something...?

"Kurosaki-kun? Are you alright?"

"Leave him, Inoue. It's evident that Kurosaki is blanking out on us."

"...Ichigo, wake up."

**SMACK**

And when he spotted Ishida smirking at his expense, Ichigo finally understood what bonds the old man was referring to.


End file.
